I've written about open weave vests before, including a tutorial: Part 1 and Part 2. I've made them for me using strips of fabric that I've manipulated into warp and weft, and I've made them for dolls using ribbons of all ilk. And I'm making one again today. No photos yet, but will share when it's done.
Traditional basket weaving, which is how I'm working the current vest, is precise and exacting. (The tutorial linked above uses strips laid over one another rather than over/under weaving.) Today, I marked the wash-away stabilizer and started on the front of the vest, the woven part. For about an hour, I enjoyed a cup of coffee and took my time going over and under the strips as a weave began to appear. It grew over the next few hours and then, regardless of my pre-planning, I started to run out of strip fabric. It takes miles of the strip to make these things!
I stopped and started cutting new strips to attach to one another, fold in half, and prep to fold in half again. I'm done for today. I don't want to get sick of the project before I even finish the front! I'm about 2/3 done with one side of the front and am liking the way it looks.
This is one of four vests I'm making, and I have fabric for a couple of colorful tunics. I've been adding more color to my wardrobe and separates are a great way to do that. I also have put more sewing into my days as I'm now retired. It's win-win.
More to come as I tackle the piles of sewing projects I have waiting for me to get busy!
Traditional basket weaving, which is how I'm working the current vest, is precise and exacting. (The tutorial linked above uses strips laid over one another rather than over/under weaving.) Today, I marked the wash-away stabilizer and started on the front of the vest, the woven part. For about an hour, I enjoyed a cup of coffee and took my time going over and under the strips as a weave began to appear. It grew over the next few hours and then, regardless of my pre-planning, I started to run out of strip fabric. It takes miles of the strip to make these things!
I stopped and started cutting new strips to attach to one another, fold in half, and prep to fold in half again. I'm done for today. I don't want to get sick of the project before I even finish the front! I'm about 2/3 done with one side of the front and am liking the way it looks.
This is one of four vests I'm making, and I have fabric for a couple of colorful tunics. I've been adding more color to my wardrobe and separates are a great way to do that. I also have put more sewing into my days as I'm now retired. It's win-win.
More to come as I tackle the piles of sewing projects I have waiting for me to get busy!
